I'm skipping parts that have no changes because we all know them so I don't need to be writing them out exactly like they happened.
Elsa's coronation happens (just without Anna waving to Hans), the party starts, Anna and Elsa share a friendly moment, Anna dances with the Duke of Weaseltown, Elsa shuts her out, Anna walks away upset. And that is where we begin this chapter.
Nobody noticed as Anna left the ballroom. Tears developing in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall in front of everyone. Just because she wasn't having a good time didn't mean she had to ruin the happy atmosphere for everyone else.
This was the first party the castle was hosting in years and she wanted them to enjoy it completely.
She had wanted to enjoy herself too. But that was hard to do when her own sister would barely talk to her. Anna thought, at least for this day, things would be different. She and Elsa could actually talk and be friends. But the moment she tried to ask about after that day—BOOM! She slammed the door in her face and that was the end of it.
Anna just didn't understand. Why didn't Elsa want to be around her? Why did she shut her out all those years ago and why does she still do it? Even today?
Being careful not to be seen by the crowd of people waiting in the courtyard, Anna made her way along the pillars on the side, hidden in the shadows. When she finally reached a big door, she pulled it open, went inside, then closed it behind her—unintentionally leaving it open just an inch.
Since she was upset, it would make sense for Anna to go up to her bedroom or any other room in the castle she found comforting, but instead she decided to go to the stables. She wasn't sure why. Maybe because it was the least likely place for anyone else to be while there was a party going on. And she didn't want anyone to see her like this.
Being alone, Anna sat on a bale of hay and let a few tears trickle down her checks and a sob or two escape her throat.
Today was supposed to be magical and fun. But instead, she just got more misery and loneliness.
Only a few minutes passed as Anna attempted to calm her sadness and dry her tears. Then she heard the stable doors creak open.
"Evening," a familiar voice said casually to her.
Anna quickly wiped away what wetness remained on her checks and around her eyes before facing whoever had just entered the stable.
She thought she recognized the voice, but wasn't positive. Then when she turned her head to face them, she remembered them in an instant.
That man from the docks again. With his reindeer.
"Oh! It's you," she greeted him, trying to sound cheerful—not because she wasn't really happy to see him again, but she was still sad. Anna stood up and faced the man in the doorway. "Uh…Christopher, was it?"
"Kristoff," the man corrected her with a bored face.
"Right, sorry," Anna quickly apologized before she sniffled on reflex. The lighting may not have been great in the stable with just two lit lanterns on either sides of the doors and another in the far corner, but Kristoff could tell her face was hiding some emotions.
He was no expert but he picked up a few pointers from some friends who were.
"I normally don't ask things like this but, are you okay?" he asked, taking a curious step closer.
Anna just crossed her arms and shrugged. "Sure. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine? There's a party going on inside, the Queen is now officially the Queen, and everyone is having a good time," she said, still masking her glum with a big smile.
"Yeah, but you don't seem to be."
"Yes I am," she insisted. "I just…needed some air."
"Okay." Kristoff let the matter be and decided to just move on. "Well then, do you mind if we stay in here for a bit? My friend here wanted some water," he said, gesturing to said reindeer waiting somewhat patiently in the doorway behind him.
"Oh, not at all. There's a trough over there," Anna gestured to another corner to her right.
"Thanks," Kristoff said. Sven walked past him, into the room. "Thank you, miss," Kristoff said in that weird voice again as the reindeer passed Anna.
"You're welcome, Sven," she said sweetly to him with a curtsy.
"Oh. So you remember his name correctly but not mine?" Kristoff said, somewhat offended.
"I said I was sorry. I don't…meet a lot of new people," Anna said bashfully.
"Lucky you," he muttered after closing the stable door all the way.
"Why is that lucky?"
"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not really a people person," he said, turning to face her again.
"Well that explains the grumpy attitude."
Despite the teasing remarks, Kristoff smiled again, sort of amused by this weird girl. "Oh yeah, I never did catch your name," he asked.
Reluctantly, the strawberry blonde sighed. "Anna." She didn't see the point in hiding anymore. "Princess Anna of Arendelle."
Sven abruptly raised his head from the trough and stared back at the two humans in the room. Kristoff's eyes widened, then he just stared at her for a minute, not saying a word. "The-the-the princess?" he stuttered. Anna nodded her head. "As in…the Queen's sister?" Anna nodded again, grinning at his nervousness. It was sort of cute. "Sven, you are in soooo much trouble for knocking her over!" he exclaimed to his companion. Sven blanched.
Anna giggled. "No, it's okay. Neither of you are in any trouble," she reassured them then turned back to the reindeer. "And certainly not sweet Sven," she cooed, scratching the base of his furry neck. Sven grunted with affection. "In fact, do you like carrots, Sven?"
Sven looked at her in excitement before vigorously nodding his head. "I sure do!" Kristoff spoke for him.
"I know the stable master keeps them somewhere around-" Anna said to herself as she looked around another area of the stables. Finally, she opened a medium sized box and there they were. "Here we are," she said, pulling out the whole bundle of orange root vegetables. "Eat up," she dropped them into an empty trough next to the water.
As Sven ate his favorite food, Anna walked back over to her bale of hay and sat down again. Followed quickly by Kristoff sitting down on another bale right next to her.
"So… if you're the princess…" the blonde man started to speak again. Anna looked at him on her right. "Why are you in here when you could be inside, enjoying her big sister's big party?" he asked, still curious. Maybe even more so.
Anna huffed. "Maybe because big sister doesn't want to see little sister." Before, she had been sad, now she felt kinda mad. And now she had someone to vent to. "I mean…we were talking—giggling even. It was the first time we've actually spoken in so long and-" she trailed off before sighing. This was her first time venting to a real person instead of just the wall, a painting, or her own reflection. Maybe she wasn't very good at it.
"Wait. You've both been tucked away in the same castle for years and not even you see her?" Kristoff asked. That was even weirder.
"Not really," Anna answered, her voice sad again. "We were so close when we were kids, but now…" That puzzled Kristoff even more. He vaguely remembered when King Angarr locked the gates all those years ago. Nobody knew why exactly. He locked himself, and his family away from their people. But it sounded like Elsa did way more than that. Was this all around the same time? "But I don't want to focus on that tonight," Anna said, snapping Kristoff out of his puzzling. "I was excited for tonight because I have the chance to meet people and have fun," she said, determined to still make the most of this night with her mood improved again.
"Well, you can't exactly do either of those things in here," Kristoff said jokingly, gesturing to the dusty and empty room they were in.
"You're right," Anna said. Then she glanced at her new friend and got an idea. "You know, watching Sven enjoying those carrots is making me hungry," she said with a sneaky grin. "Are you hungry, Kristoff?"
"Yeah, I could eat," he shrugged. "Unfortunately, they don't offer refreshments to the commoners outside the ballroom." He should have asked Anna to save a carrot for him.
Anna just grinned and stood up. "Come on," she said, grabbing his hand and started tugging on him to stand up too.
Kristoff let her pull him up—surprised by her strength—and also her sudden request. "Uh, where are we going?"
"The ballroom," she said simply, walking them toward the stable door.
"What?!" he exclaimed, planting his feet to the ground, stopping them both. Him? A filthy, nobody, ice harvester, going to a palace ball…with a princess?! "But-I can't…I'm not-"
"You can and you are," Anna turned back to him then quickly moved to his left side and wrapped her arm around his arm. "with a princess on your arm."
A light blush came to Kristoff's cheeks as he looked down at this crazy girl, noticing, seeing her face up close for the first time, that she had freckles along her nose and under her big blue eyes. "Wh-what about Sven?" Surely Sven wouldn't let himself be left alone in this unfamiliar place while his buddy was dragged off somewhat against his will.
"He's welcome to stay in here while we're at the ball," Anna told him before looking back to Sven. "You don't mind if I borrow your buddy for a bit? Right, Sven?" she asked the reindeer.
Sven grunted and tousled his head in their direction without taking his full attention off the trough, as if to say 'Not at all. Go on, get out of here.'
"Would you believe that that was a yes?" Kristoff asked, hoping she believed him but Anna wasn't falling for it.
"Let's go!" Anna said excitedly as she opened the stable door and dashed out, dragging a still hesitant Kristoff behind her.